


What's Next?

by part_timeslayer



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Fluff, More characters will be added to tags as chapters are posted, Politics, Some angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-04
Packaged: 2018-09-14 02:45:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9155266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/part_timeslayer/pseuds/part_timeslayer
Summary: Things are finally looking up when The Mountain falls. Clarke has her friends back, the plan worked perfectly by some miracle, and Lexa's at her side. However, she also finds that even a great victory doesn't always just erase all your problems. Sometimes it creates some new ones.





	1. Chapter 1

Clarke almost didn’t recognize the feeling she was hit with when the mountain fell. When she finally had her friends back, and everyone was okay, and she met the people who helped them, and it’s over. She felt like crying, and for the first time in months, or maybe even years at this point, it’s not because she’s afraid, or hurt, or guilty. It’s joy.

She realized that it probably wasn’t normal to feel so euphoric when surrounded by bodies, blood, and people begging for mercy, but she comforted herself with the knowledge that this wasn’t a normal situation, and hey, at least all those things weren’t the reason for her joy.

It was just, she’d done it. She’d gotten her friends back, and as she caught sight of Lexa standing across the room, trying to exude an impassive front even as her people celebrated a victory that had taken a century to win, she realized that she’d even gotten some new ones.

Though ‘friends’ probably wasn’t the most accurate descriptor for her relationship with Lexa. Hopefully, it would be the right one Camp Jaha and the Grounders, though. Friends were sorely needed on Earth. Clarke wasn’t sure they could handle another war.

Not sure she could.

Clarke shrugged away from that thought. It wasn’t the time for that.

Celebration hadn’t quite started yet, Clarke had insisted that the bodies of the Mountain Men be removed before that. She wasn’t going to make the people who had risked everything to help them stay surrounded by that.

Lexa had moodily pointed out that they hadn’t had a problem with being surrounded by the bodies of her people that had been used and discarded, but hadn’t really argued with Clarke over it. Clarke had a feeling that she’d have given the order even without her intervention. Lexa could be cruel when she had to be, but she didn’t enjoy it, and she was fair.

Which was another reason that she wasn’t all that phased by the people of Mount Weather’s fears. Of course, it made sense that they were terrified, they’d been invaded by an enemy army, but Clarke knew that they weren’t in any real danger. Lexa had said herself that the innocent would be spared, and Clarke believed her.

So, there she was, sitting in a room full of the survivors, her friends, and Lexa. The huge dining room felt drastically different, despite the lack of physical changes made to it. There was nothing left of that smooth façade, it’d been commandeered by a group of people just wondering what was going to happen next.

Clarke knew first-hand how terrifying it was to go from living secluded in a metal box, doing the same thing day after day, to suddenly having your home destroyed and finding yourself surrounded by Grounders. At least the people of Mount Weather knew that the Grounders even existed, and, though they hadn’t been outside, they’d at least been on earth this whole time. And they had the Arkers to help them now.

“Clarke, you need to do something.”

Clarke raised an eyebrow at Jasper.

He didn’t bother waiting for her response before continuing.

“These people, our friends, are scared out of their minds. Tell them it’s going to be okay,” Jasper whispered harshly.

Maya was at his side, clutching at his elbow, and looking a lot less confident than Jasper about the whole ‘going to be fine’ thing. Or maybe it was a distrust that she’d actually do something to help them. Clarke frowned slightly at that, but could admittedly see why Maya might feel that way.

Clarke sighed and nodded.

“It’s going to be fine, Maya. The Commander knows that not everyone agreed with Cage, she’s not planning to hurt you.”

Maya glanced dubiously at Lexa, who was sternly giving orders, covered in blood with a sword at her side, and dressed completely differently than anyone Maya had probably ever seen before today. Jasper didn’t seem all that confident in Clarke’s assessment either, and his hand kept drifting to his chest when he wasn’t paying attention.

It was strange to remember that most of what was left of the original hundred had missed so much. That they’d been locked inside the mountain, and hadn’t really fought beside the Grounders. That to Jasper, Monty, and the others the Grounders probably still felt like enemies, even though they’d sort of worked with them for this battle.

It felt like so long ago that Clarke had been afraid of Lexa, meeting her that first time, when in reality, it’d been less than two weeks.

“Don’t worry, Lexa and I have been working together pretty closely, I know her. She isn’t just going to attack you guys, not unless someone suddenly decides to get trigger happy,” Clarke attempted to reassure, though she was painfully aware that being comforting wasn’t exactly her forte.

Clarke left the two of them with orders to pass along everything she’d said and to at least try to believe her when she said that they were safe from the Commander’s wrath, and strode over to Lexa herself.

If they’d been alone she’d have grabbed Lexa’s arm to get her attention, but she knew that she wasn’t really supposed to be manhandling the Commander, in public, and instead clasped her hands in front of herself and cleared her throat.

Lexa had wiped off most of the blood that had coated her face and neck at some point, though Clarke didn’t know when she’d have found the time. Her war paint was badly smudged, and frankly, she looked exhausted. But it was clearly a good tired.

Clarke could see the satisfaction and pride in her eyes, and in the tilt of her chin. Her lips twitched upwards at the corners when she realized that it was Clarke that wanted her attention.

Clarke stepped just a little bit closer.

“Look, they need to be reassured right now that you’re not going to go off and start executing them.”

Lexa raised her chin even higher and pressed her lips into a thin line, eyes cold suddenly, her expression clearly conveying ‘and I should care about their comfort because?’ Clarke didn’t even bother responding to that, just tilted her head towards their trembling captives.

Clarke knew that Lexa was perfectly aware why having a desperate, terrified, cornered feeling enemy was not a good thing. Especially when they had a home field advantage. Lexa was just being difficult.

Lexa shot her annoyed glance, but nodded anyway, and attempted to correct her already perfect posture. She stepped forward with her hands tucked behind her back, and immediately all eyes were on her.

Lexa looked powerful, in control, but was obviously, to Clarke anyway, trying not to appear too threatening. Her body was loose, and though her hands were hidden from view, they were clearly down and likely empty.

“People of the Mountain, today the society you built upon the pain of my own has crumbled. I advise all of you to mourn your losses, but also to look forward. Your future may be different from the one you had imagined, but I assure you that it is still there if you want it. Your fight is not over.”

 

* * *

 

Clarke threw herself down on Lexa’s bed and watched the woman herself. She knew that she should leave, there was no reason for her to be in Lexa’s tent, no war to plan. She was probably just going to cause a political incident.

And there was that she might be leading Lexa on. Sort of. It was complicated. She wanted her, but she still wasn’t ready, and she didn’t know for sure what Lexa was expecting with her spending the night or how to bring it up casually.

She should be at the Mountain with her friends and her mom, or maybe even Camp Jaha if she couldn’t stomach the Mountain. She should be celebrating with them, planning for their future, and if she was at Mount Weather, making sure that the guards were being diligent. It could be catastrophic if one of their really pissed off captives got into the control room. She’d made it as clear as possible that all of them were to be watched at all times.

Still, even knowing exactly what she should be doing, it felt almost impossible to just get up and go. She wanted to be here, to bask in her victory with Lexa, to relax and not have to give orders, or comfort everyone, or have to have all of the answers.

And there was Lexa right across the room. Clean and more at ease than Clarke had ever seen her, languid almost. Her hair down, no boots, no weapons, just one of her long dark shirts and a pair of soft looking pants. It was a Lexa that didn’t need to be ready to hide from a missal at a moment’s notice.

It was nice, warm, just being with Lexa.

And Lexa hadn’t questioned her, hadn’t stopped to ask her why she’d followed her to her tent, hadn’t acted like she was expecting anything else even when Clarke had shrugged off her jacket and shoes, laid out on Lexa’s bed and pulled her blanket up and around her hips.

Lexa settled in beside her with a bit more grace, and handed Clarke a cup. Clarke was admittedly expecting water, she’d never seen Lexa drink anything else, but it seemed that Lexa was in something of a celebratory mood as well. Clarke drained most of it in a single swallow, causing Lexa to give her a look that was both mildly exasperated and impressed.

Lexa sipped from her own cup for a long moment. Clarke could tell that she wanted to say something but was biting it back.

Clarke slid down and turned onto her side, facing Lexa. Lexa didn’t hesitate to join her, setting her drink down on the table next to the bed, and moving to mirror Clarke’s position. She didn’t reach out to touch Clarke, and Clarke didn’t reach for Lexa, but it was enough.

When she finally fell asleep it was to the sound of muffled laughter and cheers from the still victory drunk warriors celebrating just beyond the thin walls of Lexa’s tent, and the even breathing of Lexa at her side.


	2. Chapter 2

When Clarke woke up the first thing she noticed was the heat. She was ready to be annoyed with Lexa for curling up to her while being a human shaped heater, only to realize that it hadn’t been Lexa who’d gotten all close and personal.

Lexa had stayed entirely on her own side. Clarke on the other hand had clearly had no issue with throwing herself completely on top of the other girl while unconscious. And so really only had herself to blame for the sweat beading her neck, mussed hair, and flushed cheeks. Even so, she didn’t move to get up until she noticed something else.

It was her mother’s voice.

She was apparently arguing with the guard outside of Lexa’s tent. Clarke sighed and pushed herself up, wincing as her sticky cheek resisted being pulled away from the skin of Lexa’s shoulder.

By the time Clarke had thrown her shoes and coat on Lexa was sitting up and reaching for her own boots, giving Clarke a small smile when she caught her eye before raising an eyebrow as the argument outside escalated in volume.

Lexa tilted her head to the entrance, not looking all that impressed or pleased with the interruption. Clarke wondered if Lexa wasn’t a morning person, or if she had just been enjoying their moment too. Clarke took a breath and stepped out of the tent, ready to face the music.

The second she crossed the entrance, the argument stopped.

“Clarke.”

“Mom,” Clarke answered, admittedly a bit sarcastically. She wasn’t all that thrilled with the interruption either.

Her mother was not amused, but after a moment seemed to decide to just let the tone thing go.

“You didn’t stay at Mount Weather, and more importantly you didn’t tell me that you weren’t staying.”

“There was a lot going on, I just forgot to tell you. I’m sorry if I worried you, that wasn’t my intention. I’m not very fond of Mount Weather, so I stuck with Lexa, I wasn’t running away from you or anything,” Clarke answered, dropping her gaze, no longer capable of meeting her mother’s stare.

She knew that it would have scared her if their positions were reversed, if her mom had just disappeared after a huge battle.

Clarke licked her lips, and looked back at her mom. Clarke frowned slightly as she noted her mom’s odd expression as she took in Clarke’s appearance. Her lips had gone thin and her eyebrows had shot up. Her expression only got odder as Lexa stepped through the entrance and stayed mere inches away from Clarke.

Clarke glanced at Lexa again and suddenly realized how things must seem if she looked anything like Lexa. Lexa’s hair was a mess, there were indents from sleeping on her cheek, she was flushed from the heat in the tent, and still not nearly as dressed up as she had been every other time her mom had seen her.

Her mom averted her gaze in almost the same way that Clarke had only a moment earlier, and nodded slowly.

“Yes, I can certainly see that you stayed with the Commander.”

Clarke paused at her mother’s words, and noticed that they’d gained something of an audience as she took in the few members of the grounder camp that seemed to be awake and sober.

It seemed that everyone found her spending the night in Lexa’s tent very interesting. She’d been spending so much time there recently, felt so at home in it, that she’d kind of hoped that no one would question her presence, though she’d known that people noticing was a risk when she’d made her decision to stay.

“Mom, why don’t you come in and we can talk about whatever you need in private,” Clarke said keeping her voice low.

Lexa was already heading back inside the tent, not bothering to contest the invitation. Her mom looked even more shocked, and Clarke belatedly realized that maybe comfortably inviting people into Lexa’s tent as though it was her own might give people the wrong idea. Well, the right idea really, but not something that Clarke wanted getting out.

Still, her mom made no comment and walked in right behind Lexa after only a moment’s hesitation. Clarke followed, faltering at the sight of Lexa’s guard giving her a sympathetic look, before continuing.

Lexa nodded at them both before disappearing back into the partially curtained side of the tent. Clarke could make out Lexa combing through her hair with her fingers, but not attempting to braid it. Clarke knew that she needed at least one other person to help her get the braids right. She moved on to washing her face, straightening out her clothes, making herself look imposing and untouchable again instead of just well a rested teenager.

Clarke found herself already missing soft Lexa, but was also enjoying getting a glimpse of Lexa’s morning routine, listening to her quietly shuffle around.

Her mom didn’t seem to share her sentiments, instead looking uncomfortable and unsure if she was even allowed to look in Lexa’s general direction while she was getting ready, regardless of Lexa staying fully dressed the entire time.

Clarke pulled a chair to Lexa’s table, gestured for her mom to sit, and hopped onto the table itself easily.

“So, what’s going on with Mount Weather?”

“Not a lot actually. We need to decide how to proceed,” her mom answered vaguely, glancing at Lexa while she did so.

“You know, we’re gonna need Lexa’s input on this. Doing whatever we want isn’t an option. After everything that that Mountain has put them through the Grounders are going to want a say in what happens next. If we just blow them off, we’re probably going to have an uprising on our hands.”

“It’s not ‘probable’. If the matter isn’t settled…delicately, an uprising would be a certainty,” Lexa interjected, stepping back into the main part of the tent, looking as put together as she usually did.

Lexa settled into her throne and placed her hands on the arms of her chair.

That’s when Clarke realized that they weren’t just discussing their next move. Her mom’s presence had turned it into an impromptu official meeting with The Commander. And they had no game plan.

Clarke liked Lexa, trusted her, cared about her, liked being a team with her, but she was also painfully aware that they didn’t always agree about what the right course of action was, and that Lexa didn’t feel the need to run all her thoughts and plans by Clarke. With good reason, Clarke didn’t tell Lexa everything either, but it still made things a bit difficult for Clarke sometimes.

Clarke did have advantages over others when dealing with Lexa though. The knowledge that she was just as important to Lexa as Lexa was to her, that she knew the right way to sway Lexa, and the knowledge that Lexa could even be swayed.

That Lexa was open-minded and smart and adaptable, it was just a matter of having an idea that would benefit her, or more precisely, her people, and selling that idea.

“What is it that the Sky People want to see happen in regards to the Mountain?” Lexa asked, looking from Clarke to her mom.

Clarke knew that Lexa wasn’t interested in just doing whatever the Arkers wanted, so the only reason that she could be asking that would be to feel out their position towards the people that remained of Mount Weather. Clarke wondered what reaction Lexa was hoping for. Probably none, Lexa had a way of just…observing.

Clarke didn’t know how to answer her question. She’d been so consumed with planning for the big battle that she hadn’t really considered what would come after, and she didn’t know what everyone else wanted. Her mom stepped forward.

“The main thing that we’ve been discussing is taking up residence in the Mountain. They have valuable resources that we could use and would be willing to share, their shelter is already functional, it would provide us with some security. Not to mention that the people still in there can’t survive outside of the walls yet. It would ultimately help everyone,” Abby answered, solid points laid out.

Clarke bit the inside of her cheek and looked at Lexa, trying to keep her doubt off her face.

“I understand your position, Chancellor Griffin. Your people are in new environment, and it’s been a difficult transition, to say the least. They’re comforted by the familiarity of the Mountain and even the people within. They want to stay.”

Her mom nodded, looking relieved that Lexa was being so understanding, while Clarke braced herself as she waited for the other shoe to drop.

“So, you agree,” Abby clarified, nodding and moving to get up, as though she was about to run back to the Mountain and tell everyone before Lexa changed her mind.

“No. The Mountain will be destroyed as soon as possible. I promised that the innocent would not be punished, and I hope to keep that promise; however, I will also have it known that should any…incidents occur that might prolong access to the Mountain, that they will be remembered for their noble sacrifice.”

“Lexa, my mom’s right. There’s a lot that we could use in there, that would help my people, and everyone else. You’re just going to destroy it without even considering any other options? Is this another rule that you guys have? You have to wreck everything that the enemy had, it’s not enough to kill them and take over?”

Lexa raised an eyebrow, seeming non-pulsed by Clarke’s outburst on the surface, to anyone that didn’t know her well, but Clarke could see the little tic in her jaw and the hurt in her eyes that indicated otherwise.

Clarke turned away, huffing out a breath, and closed her eyes for a moment, already regretting her words. Both because she knew she just made things worse, and because she didn’t really mean them, not anymore. They were just something to say that would hurt because she was angry.

“Clarke, can you honestly tell me that you don’t understand why my people would not take kindly to yours taking residence in the Mountain?”

Clarke opened her mouth to retort before closing it again, clenching her jaw. She understood what Lexa was saying, she just didn’t like it.

“What happens to them after we give them the bone marrow treatments?” Abby asked, moving on to the next topic, though the look on her face indicated that she considered the matter of the Mountain far from closed.

“They are free to go where they will. I would recommend journeying across the desert, as they will find no friends among my people. I won’t object if you wish to allow them a place with your own,” Lexa dismissed.

It seemed like she honestly couldn’t wait to have the matter settled, to never have to worry about the ‘Mountain men’ again. Clarke couldn’t blame her. She wasn’t all that thrilled at the thought of them being in Camp Jaha either, though she was sure that most of them were going to end up there eventually.

She knew that the ones that were alive were the ones that had helped them, that she shouldn’t be too mad at them, that she should be able to move on, but it was difficult. Clarke wasn’t the best at letting things go, though she’d been working on that, and she still somewhat resented anything to do with the Mountain.

She could only imagine how Lexa must feel, knowing that to Lexa they’d all just been monsters preying on her people for over a century.

Clarke glances over at her mom in time to see her open her mouth, likely to expand on the topic, and stops her with a nudge to her knee under the table. It was clear that Lexa was done talking about Mount Weather, that she’d made up her mind, and discussing it any further now was only going to make her more stubborn. Clarke was somewhat surprised that Lexa hadn’t dismissed her mom already.

She’d never shown interest in Abby before, even outright ignoring her presence a few times, but today she seemed oddly tolerant. Clarke couldn’t help but wonder if it had to do with the turn that their relationship had taken.

It was strange to think about Lexa, well, not wanting her mom’s approval, she was certain the Lexa couldn’t possibly care less about Abby liking her, but seemingly not wanting to treat her as invisible anymore. Treating her as important, and worth at least hearing out now, at least partly because she was important to Clarke.

“We can talk about this later. There’s also the matter of our alliance. Will your people still honor it even though we brought down the Mountain?” Clarke asked.

Lexa paused at that, either getting her thoughts together or choosing her words carefully.

“They will for now. They will obey me without question after such a victory, even if they disagree with me and find me to be too merciful towards people they are still wary of. It’s not a permanent solution.”

Clarke could see her biting something back again. Lexa had an idea about how to make the alliance more permanent, but didn’t think that she and her mom would be receptive. Clarke leaned forward meeting Lexa’s eyes.

She might not have pushed Lexa the night before when she hesitated, but that was when it was about them, not about their people.

“Lexa, whatever it is, say it.”

“…I want your people to become my people. Join my coalition.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys are enjoying the fic so far, and continue to do so :D


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